


Long Overdue

by textualpoaching



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-06
Updated: 2012-03-06
Packaged: 2017-11-01 14:00:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/357611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/textualpoaching/pseuds/textualpoaching
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's just one little word, Dean.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Long Overdue

"Cas, stop being an ass!"  
  
Standing in the doorway, the angel looks a little taken aback, a little hurt, but more than anything, confused. And that’s not how Dean means to make him feel given that everything that happened today was his fault.  
  
Now it’s gone so far that he’s trying to – Goddamn it – _apologise_ , and for some reason, it’s making him so much more uneasy than it should.  
  
"What did I -"  
  
"Nothing, just, be quiet. Give me a minute."  
  
Dean wishes he could just shut up. Every word coming out of his mouth is harsh and unnecessary - Completely the opposite of what he is searching for. Cas' eyes are still trained on him, one eyebrow raised, waiting for him to explain, and this makes Dean even more nervous, even more frustrated that he can't just say what he's thinking. The angel is rooted to the spot, arms by his sides, lips pressed shut and brow furrowed, and he can’t help it. He snaps again.  
  
“Goddamn, Cas, would you just sit down?”  
  
And that’s when his friend’s face changes. Cas drops his eyes from Dean’s and looks so dejected, so disappointed, so damn sad as he drops himself down onto the bed, that Dean just aches to get this right.  
  
“Look I wanted to say that-”  
  
Walking to the kitchen table, he runs his hand across the back of his neck and clears his throat, before leaning his weight on one of the kitchen chairs. He closes his eyes, breathes deep. Why is this so hard? And just as he’s about to quit and walk away, (‘cause it’s really not that big a deal, right?) he sees Cas sitting hunched over with his hands clasped between his knees, and he is looking up at him so damn wistfully and well, it might even break Dean’s heart. Goddamn it if he isn’t going to just be a man right now and swallow his pride and say what his friend deserves to hear.  
  
“Cas, I –” he bites his lip, looks at the ceiling, looks back down to meet Cas’ stare and spits it out. “Man, I’m sorry.”  
  
Castiel just looks astounded. Dean swears he sees the flicker of a smile turn up the corners of his mouth, if just for a second. He hopes he saw it because he’s not going to stop now.  
  
“I’m sorry for treating you like shit Cas. You don’t deserve it. Hell, I don’t know a person deserves it less than you do. And it’s not just about today, it’s all the damn time-”  
  
“Dean.”  
  
“No, let me finish. ‘Cause hell if it hasn’t been the longest time coming-”  
  
“Dean.”  
  
He’s standing now, and has moved across the room. He’s in Dean’s ‘personal space’ but that’s not something Dean is going to point out now. “Dean, it’s okay…” he says. His voice is lower than usual, quieter as well, and it makes Dean’s stomach flip.  
  
He looks down at the ground and forgets the rest of his apology, forgets why they’re here.  
  
“I know.” says Cas. And of course he does. It always comes back to this – How Castiel knows Dean better than anyone, and still stays. How, despite the amount of crap Dean dishes out, Cas is there by his side, is there for him. 'Sorry' falls away and now more than anything Dean wants to say 'Thank You'. Except, that might be even harder. ‘I was wrong’ is vulnerable enough, but ‘I couldn’t do it without you’? He doesn’t have the words for that.  
  
He looks up at Cas, meets his eyes once more, and he smiles.  
  
And this time, Cas smiles back, in his way – On anyone else’s face it would look a grimace, but Dean can see the light behind his eyes as they crease up at the corners and his lips turn upward.  
  
If words won’t do now, he knows one thing that will. Dean reaches a hand to his best friend’s chin and takes it between his thumb and index finger. Pulling gently (and it doesn’t take much) Dean brings Castiel’s face down towards his own. Stubble scratches the pads of his fingers but he doesn’t feel it for focusing on the feeling of Cas’ chapped lips as he presses his own against them.


End file.
